The Whitman Sisters

Are you a woman effecting change through your career or social organization? Are you a woman dedicated to maintaining the vibrancy that’s spreading across our city? Are you a woman who appreciates culture and the impact it can have on children? Are you a woman who loves having fun? If you’re this kind of woman, then you’re a Whitman Sister.

What’s a Whitman Sister? She’s a distinguished woman that ensures our beloved city has the best of the best, by helping Hattiloo Theatre continue its journey to becoming our nation’s role model Black theatre.

It’s an exciting time at Hattiloo, with the announcement of Katori Hall as the new artistic director; with Hattiloo’s building in Overton Square being paid for, so the organization has no debt; with the theatre building for the future with a $500k endowment; and excellence being practiced on and off stage. All that’s missing is you, as one of our Whitman Sisters.

So, what does it mean to be a Whitman Sister? Each Sister helps Hattiloo touch more lives by:

Donating $500 annually

Raising $1,000 through staff-supported events

Promotes Hattiloo's fundraisers like TheSistersTakeStage - an evening when a few Sisters let their hair down during a staged reading

And enrolling other dynamic women as Whitman Sisters

A TIDBIT ABOUT OUR NAMESAKE, THE HISTORICAL WHITMAN SISTERS: By 1899, Mabel, Essie, Alberta and “Baby” Alice Whitman were together running one of the highest paid and longest running Black vaudeville acts in its history - The Whitman Sisters Comedy Company. Not only were the Whitman Sisters pioneers of their times, they also helped catapult the careers of many other Black performers like Leonard Reed (American Tap-Dancer), Jeni LeGon (American Vocalist), Willie Bryant (American Jazz bandleader), and countless other entertainers.